September 26th: Below are the top stories WTXL ABC 27 is following around the Big Bend, South Georgia, nationally, and your forecast.
1) Officers shoot & kill armed man outside S. L. Mason Elementary in Valdosta, no students hurt. Valdosta Police Department says an officer heard gunshots near Lamar Street Thursday afternoon and saw the man "entering the campus." They say the school immediately went on lockdown. Officers fired their guns at the man, hitting him. They tried to save his life, but he died on the scene. Valdosta City Schools released a video message Friday thanking officers for their quick response.
2) Leon County Sheriff's Office to release next Anatomy of a Homicide Project in Spring 2026. The study is researching homicides in Leon County and the circumstances in which they occurred from 2021 to 2025.
3) Florida’s open carry law takes effect, prompting concerns and clarifications. It allows gun owners to visibly carry firearms in public, but local law enforcement is working to ensure remaining restrictions are still enforced.
4) Florida Medicaid expansion campaign suspends 2026 ballot push amid HB 1205 legal hurdles. Florida’s most ambitious citizen-led push to expand Medicaid has been pushed back two years. Florida Decides Healthcare (FDH) announced this week it will suspend efforts to qualify for the 2026 ballot and instead aim for 2028, blaming a new state law that dramatically raised costs and imposed stricter rules on ballot initiatives.
5) Weekend Weather: It will be a wet start to the weekend. Scattered showers will take over Friday through the afternoon hours, but will clear out as we head into the evening hours. On Saturday, there is a 40% chance of rain, but it will be mostly cloudy and dry. First to Know Meteorologist Ryan Gold has the details below.
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